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You could take Him to the symphony and He'd probably enjoy it. But when you've heard the thunderous glory of heaven's choir, it's hard to be wowed by Beethoven's Fifth. You could read Shakespeare to the Lord, and He might say, "That's really wonderful." But He might be thinking, "Have you read My word?"
Maybe you would show Him the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai. It's 163 floors--over a half mile high. But I have a hunch He'd be thinking, "That reminds me of the Tower of Babel." Or you might drive Him out to the Grand Canyon, and I bet He'd enjoy the view. But still--He made that, after all.
So what does it take to impress Jesus? I've found only one place in the New Testament where Jesus expresses wonderment. It's the story, recorded by both Matthew and Luke, of the centurion with the sick servant. Jesus was on His way to heal the servant, and the centurion sent word to Christ that He need not even come to his home. "Just say the word, and I know my servant will be healed," was his attitude.
Jesus' reaction? He was impressed. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (Luke 7:9; cf. Matthew 8:10). In Greek that means Jesus was amazed and astonished, that He looked on with wonder.
So what was it that impressed Jesus? The short answer is, He was impressed with the centurion's faith. But that's not really the heart of His wonderment. What really impressed Jesus was that the centurion was impressed with Christ!
The centurion got it. Jesus is great and glorious and all-powerful. He is so great that He doesn't even need to come to my house, or see my poor, sick servant. Christ can just decide, and He can heal this man at a distance. (Which is exactly what happened.)
If you or I were most impressed with people who were impressed with us, we would be considered conceited, egotistical, and arrogant. But Jesus is none of those things. The truth is, He alone is worthy and admirable and glorious. And we are happiest, at our best, when we know this and live in light of His glory. The centurion did. He got it. Which is what Christ wants for all of us.
I hope I can impress Jesus this way.
